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Thursday, August 27, 2009

Executive Chef Josh K. Watkins: Cooking Demo

Here is Executive Chef Josh K. Watkins in his restaurant, The Carillon at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center located on the University of Texas campus in downtown Austin.

I was fortunate to attend a demo dinner at the hotel restaurant where Chef Watkins prepared and served five courses paired with wine.

First course: Salmon Tartar. Oh yeah, he did the entire demo for us...beginning with a huge Salmon.

Salmon was served with a crispy fried oyster, creme fraiche and american caviar.

Here he is carefully and artfully stacking the ingredients on the plate.

Divya! She's wonderful, and the reason I got a seat at this chef demo. Luv ya chica! This first course was served with a glass of 06 Tamari Torrontes from Mendoza, Argentina. My notes say the wine was a very sweet light white wine with flavors of melon and honey. It was easy to drink and found at Central Market or Whole Foods for $10-15 a bottle.

Remove skin and de-bone salmon if necessary. Be sue to remove all of the bloodline and cartilage. Dice salmon to 1/8 inch pieces or smaller. Combine salmon, shallots, garlic, capers, dijon, and worcestershire. Salt to taste.

For the Oysters:

In a medium pot bring canola oil to 350 F. In a large mixing bowl combine panko, flour, and sesame seeds. Dust oysters in breading, remove and fry until golden brown. Salt when removed from oil.

For the Creme Fraiche:

Combine Ceme Fraiche and lemon. Salt to taste. On a side note, Chef talked to us about making his own Creme Fraiche by using a quart of heavy cream plus acid plus a teaspoon of existing yogurt and then left a room temperature overnight. I may have to do more research before I attempt this.

Method:

Shape tartare into 4 ring molds. Place a teaspoon of caviar on each, followed by 3 crispy oysters and a spoon of creme fraiche. Garnish with chives.

Second course was a White Caesar Salad served with spanish anchovies, garlic chips, white asparagus and arugula pistou.

The wine served with this course was the 07 Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand. I noted that it was grassy and herby and could be found for $10-15 at places where wine is served since it is a common wine.

For the Asparagus bundles:

Cut Manchego into 12 small batons. (Save scraps for Arugula Pistou) On a clean surface, lay out 8 anchovies skin side up. Place cheese and asparagus on anchovies and roll into tight bundles.

In a small mixing bowl bloom gelatin in cold water. In a small pot combine gelatin and vodka. Warm just enough to dissolve gelatin. Chill on sheet pan with parchment under refrigeration. Cut to desired portions. You will need 10-12 sheets of gelatin per quart of liquid.

For the Olive Oil Crema:

In a mixing bowl combine heavy cream and 1 t olive oil. Mix to desired consistency and salt to taste.

In a small saucepot combine water, vinegar and sugar. Simmer on medium heat until reduced by 1/2. Cool liquid when syrup consistency is reached. In a small saucepan render bacon until crispy, drain and discard fat. Combine with reduction to complete Gastrique.

For the lamb:Season liberally with salt and pepper. Sear on high until golden brown on both sides. Apply a thin coating of mustard and submerge in breadcrumbs. Finish in a 400 F oven until desired temperature is reached. The lamb should be 135 degrees on the inside.

This course was served with a glass of 05 Flora Springs Merlot from Napa Valley, California. The wine smelled heavenly and paired excellently with the lamb. It was a big wine, and smooth with a wonderful finish that had a little bit of spice.

The finale was Goat Cheese Cheesecake served with lemon verbena caramel and raspberry confit.

Line the cake pan with parchment paper and the graham cracker mix. Bake the crust for 10 minutes at 325 F.

Reduce oven temp to 300 F. Place both cheeses in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on medium speed with the paddle attachment.

When the cheeses are combined, add the sugar and vanilla bean paste. Continue mixing for 2 minutes until completely smooth. Scrape bowl at least once in the middle of mixing.

Add eggs one at a time, scraping the sides after each addition. Add heavy cream and continue mixing until homogenized. Pour over the crust, knock the pan on the counter top to get bubbles out. Bake in oven in a water bath. (place cake pan in a half sheet pan, add enough water to come half way up the cookie sheet)

Bake until set. Smooth surface forms on top and jiggles like Jell-O not water. Take care to not brown the cheesecake. Add more water as needed. Baking time is typically 45-50 minutes. Chill overnight.